When it comes to selecting a DJ for your wedding, corporate / private party or Bar/Bat Mitzvah there are so many different companies to choose from. It can be a very daunting and overwhelming process. Do you know the difference between a Professional DJ and a non Professional DJ? Maybe it’s not a concern to you if the DJ is professional? I’m guessing though, that you do care if the company you’re considering hiring is going to deliver the service their promising? In this blog I will addressing the differences between a non professional DJ and a Professional DJ. My hope is to educate you about the DJ industry. I will also give you very important tips on how to choose a Professional DJ.

A non Professional DJ is someone who shows up at your event dressed casual or even in Tye Dye with a non -chalant attitude. They think they’re there to put on a show. The music is very loud all the time. Their equipment will probably be of very low standards. The speakers will be hanging from poles with wires dangling every where adding to a very cluttered “DJ booth”. The non Professional DJ will not be organized because they don’t have a written Timeline to follow. Which can lead to problems like mispronouncing the bride and grooms names during introductions. Or they leave the guests of honor wondering when, if ever, are the toasts going to take place. There are so many irreplaceable moments during a reception; if its announced that its time for speeches or first dances and very special people are not present, that moment is lost forever. What if the wrong song is played for your first dance? Or the DJ makes comments about your guests over the microphone? The nightmare goes on and on. If you think all of this is an exaggeration it’s not. The information I have given you comes from venue management, planners and from general conversation about DJ’s.

So what does it mean to be a Professional DJ? Quality service and personal attention are the first things that come to mind. A true Professional is one that will go above and beyond for their client. They will arrive at your event early dressed in a suit not Tye dye! With an attitude of confidence, concern and passion for making a great party. A Professional DJ will know how to play appropriate music at an appropriate level that keeps everyone on the dance floor. A Professional DJ will spend time meeting with you face to face, three to four hours organizing a Timeline and working on music and rehearsing pronunciation of names for introductions. Your DJ will be aware of what’s going on around her/him as to not start the first dance if the bride’s father is out of the room. Or the photographer is not in the room. A Professional DJ will put your mind at ease so you can take your shoes off and have fun!

Here are a few tips on how to choose a Professional DJ;

1. When speaking to a DJ company, only speak to the person that will be the DJ at your event. Talking directly to the DJ you’re considering hiring is the only way to get a “feel” for if this person is right for you or not.

2. Ask your hired Event Planner for recommendations. You have hired this person because of their knowledge in the event industry. Their opinion is trusted otherwise you would not have hired them.

3. Ask for references. Anyone in any business who is hesitant to give a reference warrants a red flag!

4. Ask about how they dress. Do they drink alcohol on the job? How many breaks do they take?

5. Ask if they follow a written Timeline. Timeline’s are key to being organized. Timeline’s are key in putting your mind at ease.

6. Ask about how they perceive your involvement with the music. Your gonna want to pick music. Maybe you have a Do Not Play list, will they adhere to your requests?

7. Ask for specifics about their equipment. I have heard of DJ’s showing up with speakers from their house!

I know their are some people who just want someone to show up and play music. Having a Professional DJ may not be at the top of your priority list. I’m hoping that after reading this blog you have changed your mind about that. After all the DJ plays a huge roll in any event. Wither its a birthday party or a wedding reception its a once in a lifetime event. Why not have the best? Once you’ve hired a Professional DJ the daunting overwhelming feelings will disappear!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Center Stage Entertainment stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud {Enter Your Business Name} for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Center Stage Entertainment is among the very best Professional DJ’s within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

First let me say that I am so blessed to be able to do what I love – PLAY MUSIC. Its where my heart and soul lie outside of my family. How did I become a DJ? I became a DJ trying to dig a garden in cooch grass in the middle of Australia while my baby boy played next to me. Huh? that sounds wierd right? Well, it was there that I decided that I needed to do something that I was passionate about. I took a broadcasting course at Centralian College in Alice Springs, Australia and became an Radio DJ. I hosted a Drive Time show in the afternoons, an Electronica Show on Friday nights and I filled in for other broadcasters doing a Blues Show, Classical Show as well as interviewing local musicians and some pretty famous people from around Australia. No, not Nicole Kidman but I did interview Russell Crowe. After all he is the lead singer for his own band.

Anyways, during my broadcasting career I had a friend who’s husband ran a local backpackers. A backpackers is a YMCA where people from all the world stay when they are traveling. He asked if I were interested in working in his club as a DJ. I said I would love to see what its all about the next thing I know I’m working the club full time. I worked everyday except for Tuesday’s and Sunday’s. It was a great experience for me to learn how to read a crowd, keep the dance floor packed and learn about different genre’s of music. After a few years of working at Melanka my husband’s job transferred us back the the states.

In the states, after settling in to live in the U.S. A. which by the way was not easy. We left the states with three of us and returned with five of us! I got a job in Denver working in a club in LoDo. I took a dead Thursday night and turned it in to a popular thing! Many late nights and a few months later I found my self wondering how I could continue in the music industry without having to be in the clubs so late at night. One night while looking around online I discovered mobile DJ sites. Not having a clue as to what this was I called a few and started to educate my self. Some were helpful some were not. I did find one who suggested that I come out on a gig with him if I wanted to really see the “action”. I took him up on that offer and soon became the assistant for Rockin’ Rex! I worked for Rex for a few months and then decided I could be a mobile DJ on my own.

I started my own company in Feburary of 2005 http://www.djdenver.com . A few people in my neighborhood heard what I was doing and before I knew it I had a wedding and a pool party booked! I became the number one DJ for the Canterberry Club in my home town of Parker, CO. I cold called a Wedding Planner from the phone book who offered to help me with a business plan. Penny Storchevoy who owns Revelry Events http://www.revelryevents.com educated me about what planners do, she also took me to my first wedding planners association meeting. I am a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants Denver Chapter http://www.coloradoabc.com . I am very active with networking and meeting people who I feel will benefit from what I do. I am also a member of ISES International Special Events Society http://www.isesdenver.com . I am a Preferred Vendor at several reputable venues including http://www.villaparker.com and http://www.cielocastlepines.com .

My main focus right now is to make known the difference between some one “moonlights” as a DJ and a real Professional DJ. I also want it to be known that it can be a real asset to have a female DJ. I am learning and growing my social media skills every chance I get in hopes of educating everyone who may be interested in the Professional DJ industry. If you are a bride planning your own wedding, an Event Planner looking for a Professional DJ to rock the party, a venue looking for an asset to your entertainment get connected to my blog. I will share my experience and education within the event industry in Colorado.